, who was behind more than 200 projects in the Aspen area, designed the three-story Bidwell-Mountain Plaza Building located on the Cooper Avenue Mall.
It will be replaced with a two-story building suited for retail and a possible restaurant in the upstairs atrium. Developer Mark Hunt purchased the building in 2012 for $22 million.
Built in 1965, Benedict utilized a western, mountain style of architecture, using rustic elements of the area, including timber, bricks and stone. Also characteristic of Benedict is the covered walkway along Galena Street.
It was thought to be Benedict’s only known intact commercial building, according to a consultant study.
City officials in 2006 contemplated historically landmarking the structure, but it was early in the local conversation about preserving what’s called Aspen’s modern architecture